2013-14 Homeschool Plan: Science

Moving on from the subjects we do independently to those we do as a group...

Last year, we used Elemental Science...the Intermediate Earth Science & Astronomy unit. It went pretty well and covered a good variety of stuff, but just wasn't as challenging as we needed. 

Next year for science, our plan is as follows:

We'll start with Human Body Detectives, completing the Circulatory and Nutrition units during our first six week session. (We've already done the Digestive and Immune System units. I think I like them, though I find the organization of the lessons a tiny bit confusing. I haven't been doing all of the activities (as my boys would really rather not color and things like that) but like that the program makes them available.)

After that, we'll spend a couple of sessions on Ellen McHenry's The Elements program. I haven't used this before but have heard good things. From the samples I've been able to see, I think it will be a nice challenge for us.

Finally, we'll follow that up with Ellen McHenry's Carbon Chemistry. Same as above. ;)

I think we'll end up with a session free so am thinking I'll assign individual research or projects.

2013-14 Homeschool Plan: Language Arts

The other primary subject that the boys do independently is language arts. Like math, this year will be the first time I intentionally use different curricula for each boy rather than just different levels of the same curricula. It's gonna get complicated, lol, but will hopefully go smoother than last year's trial and error. ;)

GRAMMAR: I'm going to have Noah tackle Analytical Grammar, all three seasons if possible because we're gearing up for the placement testing for high school at Early Colleges and know that this is an area of weakness for us. I'm very much in love with the idea behind this program of not repeating most everything every year and just hitting it all when students can actually retain it. In light of that, I'm *not* doing grammar with either of the younger boys next year. So there. ;)

WRITING: This is the one. It's gonna be crazy. But. I'm stoked. I think this has the potential to work really well and play to each boy's strengths (and boost their weaknesses)...*if* I can figure out how to fit it all in, lol. So. I'm going to work through IEW's Rockets, Radar & Robotics theme pack with all three boys, to work on skills like outlining and taking notes. Then, each boy will have a separate plan...

Noah: The Analytical Grammar program also has a writing component, called Beyond the Book Report. We'll give that a try, hoping that the very straight forward approach is a good fit for this no-nonsense sort of boy. I'll also have him tackle this Killgallon book.

Asher: Asher's my story teller, my language arts boy who might actually enjoy writing. So, we're going to try a new curriculum called Cover Story. It's by the same folks who do the One Year Adventure Novel program that I've looked at in the past (with an eye toward using it in the future), so I'm pretty excited and hoping that it's as much fun as has been advertised.

Micah: Like Asher, Micah loves telling stories. Like Noah, Micah prefers a more no-nonsense approach. ;) Given that he's only technically a third grader, I'm going to have him using Writing With Skill. 

SPELLING: I'm still very happy with All About Spelling and am going to just keep working through that. We're partially through level 6 right now and will aim to finish that and level 7 by the end of the year. I still don't know that having all three doing the same level is the best plan, necessarily. But. Micah's holding his own...just gets a bit more frustrated sometimes...and Noah is still challenged every now and again. I'm just going to leave well enough alone. :)

VOCABULARY: This is new-ish. I've done plenty with vocabulary in the past, but usually through other subjects and never in a concerted manner. This year, I'm going to have all three boys work through Word Roots on the computer. (I'm thinking the younger two will do level A1 and Noah will do both A1 & A2...just a lesson or two a week...easy exposure.) I'll also have them each do different levels in All About Homophones. 

READING: Each boy will have assigned reading each session. I haven't finalized these plans and will probably change my mind each time. ;) Right now, my thinking is to assign a specific book or two in addition to letting them pick a book or two (probably on a designated subject). At the end of the session (6 weeks), I'll have them report back...requiring different types of reports given each boy's age/aptitude. My rough lists right now have each boy reading a mix of more classic literature and contemporary books. I also have a list of books we'll read aloud as a family at night. Over the summer, I've been reading a number of these books (from all the lists) and am excited about many of them...hoping the boys enjoy them. :)

Whew. That's language arts. ;)

2013-14 Homeschool plan: Math

Let's start with math. Look here and here for last year's information. This coming year will be the first time I've had all three boys doing something different, curriculum-wise. It was time. ;) (Need to recognize the different aptitudes and approaches.) Here's our plan:

NOAH: We're going to use Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) for Algebra and will introduce AoPS Counting & Probability and AoPS Intro to Number Theory half way through the year. This program seems to be a good fit for Noah, as it challenges him, explains things well and doesn't offer unnecessary repetition. (The program is targeted at more math-centric students and those likely to go on to pursue study/work in math and engineering fields.)

At this point, we're able to have this be a mostly independent study for Noah...wherein I assign the work and grade it but he reads the text and does the problems on his own, though I'm always available to help if needed.

ASHER: For Asher, we're going to stick with Teaching Textbooks and will have him do Math 7. He was able to breeze through Math 6 fairly well on his own (on the computer) but, since math doesn't come as naturally to him as to his brothers, we're not in any hurry and feel that more review in Math 7 is the right route for him. I really think being able to do this on the computer has helped his confidence in math this past year...not having to worry about getting things wrong in front of me or his brothers. 

We may or may not have Asher read Life of Fred Decimals on his own. These books approach math in a story fashion. I've found over the years that these books don't work for us as a stand-alone curriculum but I figure that more coverage of a topic (and in a different way) can't hurt. I think Asher, in particular, might benefit from reading about math as a story...to help reinforce ideas and principles that aren't always clear to him initially.

MICAH: Micah's decided that he doesn't like listening to the Teaching Textbooks lectures. He thinks they're annoying and too long, lol. Like Asher, he breezed through Math 6 (though he actually scored slightly lower than Asher simply because he rushed things and refused to check his work before hitting "enter" lol). 

Instead, then, I think I'm going to work through Singapore Math's Discovering Math 7 with him. I'm not sure if it's the best fit yet, but I have this on hand and, thus, don't have to buy anything. ;) So. We'll start there. I'm fairly sure that if he's working through it with me, this will work for Micah. Yes, this is the same book I started with Noah earlier this year when we switched him from Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra (and then eventually to AoPS Pre-Algebra). No, I don't think the fact that they're five years apart in age will matter. It was review for Noah and will hopefully challenge Micah.

Beyond Discovering Math, I'm going to continue with Beast Academy for Micah. (It's by the Art of Problem Solving people, and we've already worked through 3A and most of 3B in the last few months.) My reasoning is similar to why I'll have Asher read Life of Fred...it offers another way to look at things. In Micah's case, more problems makes more of an impact than a story. :)

ALL: I just remembered that I have these cool Mathematicians Are People, Too books. I'm curious, myself, so plan to read a chapter a week to the boys...just for fun. ;)

Additionally, I'm going to try a new curriculum called Hands on Equations with both Asher and Micah. It's an introduction to algebraic thought processes and I'll use it as a supplement to hopefully make the transition to algebra in a few years smoother. 

So. That's what we're doing for math next year. ;)

2013-14 Homeschool plan: Overall

Okey-dokey. Because I like to record it somewhere, lol, here's our plan for our coming school year. (You can read one of my first posts about this topic here.)

- Still homeschooling. ;)

- We're going to start August 12. Yes, it's sooner than I'd like. ;) But. We find that schooling year round is a good fit for us, so I can't just take August off, much as I'd like to, lol.

- For the past few years, we've done a roughly three weeks "on," one week "off" schedule...which is dandy for balancing life and school. (We use that "off" week for appointments and field trips and playdates and such whenever possible.)

- This year, though, we're going to try for a six weeks "on," two weeks "off" schedule...because I've been finding that a single week off isn't always enough when it comes to things like vacations and company. ;) Also, thinking in terms of six sessions during a school year gets us closer to things like quarters and semesters...which boys will probably need to understand down the road.

- I'm not sure yet how it's all going to fit together, but I tend to do independent work in the mornings (so things like math and language arts, where the boys are all at different levels and have their own things) and group work in the afternoons (some subjects I still do altogether, like science and history, because it's just easier and works for us). 

- Asher & Micah will be participating in the Fort Collins Options program on Mondays. (For 2012-13, we had to choose whether to go with Fort Collins or Loveland. Prior to that, the program had been run through Aurora School District...starting that year, it switched to the local school districts, which meant that staff and policies changed somewhat. We chose Loveland (more familiar staff) but will change to Fort Collins for the coming year. This means new people and policies but still, hopefully, the same basic premise and program.)

- Noah is choosing not to do Options this year (not enough class choices that interested him), and we'll use that extra day to focus on schoolwork specific to him.

- Technically speaking, Noah will be in 7th grade, Asher in 5th and Micah in 3rd. The schoolwork we do doesn't necessarily follow that, and for purposes of Options (to get the classes they wanted) Asher is listed as 6th grade and Micah as 4th, but that's what we're going with. ;)

I think that's mostly it for now. I'll continue by subject (and you can read past posts by using that "Homeschooling" category link over on the left...generally, the curriculum reviews are in June-August 2010, June 2011 and August 2012...feel free, too, to completely skip my posts for the next week or so, lol) and will work on updating the boys' curriculum pages also over on the left. :)

Ten on Tuesday

1. Yesterday, two of my three had their annual well check appointments. Mostly all good. :)

2. But. Asher probably needs glasses. (Yeah, we saw that coming and have an appointment at our optometrist scheduled in a few weeks.) The part I found entertaining was when the nurse had Asher covering one eye and trying to read the lines...and Micah was standing next to him telling him the answers, lol. Oy. Obviously had to move Micah and will have his eyes checked by the optometrist, too...because, even though he passed the vision test at the pediatrician's just fine, I have a hunch that it was more a matter of memorization. ;) (Because the boy has a killer memory and because they used the same chart and lines for Asher (who went first) and Micah.)

3. Also, we'll be having an appointment with a cardiologist sometime this fall. Micah's had a Still's Murmur since birth. Our pediatrician hasn't been concerned at all, as apparently most of these disappear by the time a kid's eight, and Micah's otherwise completely healthy. Well, Micah's eight now (or will be next week) and his is still apparent. So. We've been referred to a cardiologist. I'm told that these typically cause parents more stress on their hearts than the kids and that there's really nothing to worry about. The cardiologist will hopefully be able to tell us what's what; but, since he/she isn't at the pediatrician's office regularly (I think the pediatrician said he/she comes up from Denver?), it will be a little bit before we get that scheduled. 

4. Stoked because I found an awesome online deal on the shoes Noah's currently wearing (remember the work it took to find some?)...more than half off what I paid for his current pair. So. Regardless of whether they'll fit him or not, I ordered the next size up for the fall. So there. ;)

5. In case you were wondering, dumbbells suck. (Yes, still doing my boot camp class, lol.) Also, stairs suck. More importantly, though, stairs with dumbbells suck. ;)

6. I have to appreciate, though, that the boot camp instructor manages to continually find new muscles to make sore, lol.

7. Micah, in true Micah-style, finished his schoolwork for the year this morning before his brothers even woke up...a full three days ahead of schedule. Now to convince the other two to follow suit... ;)

8. I haven't forgotten that I'm due to post entries here about our curriculum plans for the coming year. Look for those soon!

9. I'm also still working on my list of forty things I want to do before I'm forty. That may take a bit longer.

10. Last call on those things we had for sale locally. The tent and bike trailer are gone. (yay!) The rest will be heading to Goodwill and Habitat and such this weekend.